PHILADELPHIA, September 13, 2012—Is the end near?MAYA 2012: Lords of Time, a world premiere exhibition at the Penn Museum, confronts the current fascination with predictions of a world-transforming December 2012 apocalypse and their supposed origins in the ancient Maya civilization. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum is offering a rich variety of programs including an Apocalypse Film Series, a talk by Anthony Aveni, best-selling author of The End of Time: The Maya Mystery of 2012, an End of Time symposium, and an “End-of-the-World Countdown” Party. Programs are (optimistically) offered through January 2013; the exhibition is scheduled to run through January 13, 2013. For more information, visit http://www.penn.museum/calendar.

September 19Wednesday, 6:00 pmMAYA 2012 Lecture SeriesHouses of Gods and Kings: Classic Maya Temples and Royal PalacesJoanne Baron, Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, talks about the Classic Maya architecture, which towers above the tropical forests of Mexico and Central America. Built to memorialize their ancestors, to house their deities, and as home to the royal court, Maya temples and palaces are hallmarks of this great civilization. Admission: $5. For more information, call 215.898.2680.

September 26Wednesday, 7:30 pmApocalypse Film SeriesTerminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)Did the Maya predict the end of the world in December 2012? Does the fate of humanity lie in the liquid metal hands of the Terminator? Find out how to survive the end of days, with a different apocalyptic scenario each month during this film series. In the first installment, pick up skills on how to outrun Skynet's T-1000 Terminator, and compete in a Terminator trivia contest at intermission! Cash bar and snacks available. Admission: Pay-what-you-want. For more information, call 215.898.2680.

October 3Wednesday, 6:00 pm“Great Battles: Moments in Time that Changed History” Lecture SeriesA Tale of Two City States: Quirigua's Victory over Copan in 738 CEHonduran archaeologist Ricardo Agurcia Fasquelle, Executive Director of the Copan Association, presents this inaugural lecture in the Great Battles Series. Until recently scholars depicted the ancient Maya as a peaceful civilization devoid of warfare. This somewhat romantic notion has been overturned by evidence of a starker reality: during the Classic period (ca. 250–900 CE) an array of Maya kingdoms were engaged in a series of major wars that ravaged the heart of the Maya homeland. For much of this era the major kingdom of Copan appears to have escaped these conflicts. Everything changed in 738 CE, however, when Copan was dramatically defeated by its far smaller vassal, Quirigua. Admission: $5 with advance registration; $10 at the door based on availability. To register, visit http://www.penn.museum/greatbattles.

October 13Saturday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pmCenter for Ancient Studies SymposiumThe End of TimeWhether or not the end of time is predicted in the Maya calendar, many of the ancient world civilizations hosted a belief in a universal cataclysm—the Apocalypse, the Last Judgment, the coming of the Antichrist, the Kali Yuga, the Götterdämmerung, and so on. This year’s Center for Ancient Studies annual symposium, in conjunction with the Penn Museum exhibition MAYA 2012: Lords of Time, explores what it means for a religion or civilization to foster a belief in the end of the world. Dr. Elaine Pagels, Professor of Religion, Princeton University, and author of Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation (Viking Press, 2012), presents the keynote address. The symposium is free and open to the public.

October 17Wednesday, 6:00 pmMAYA 2012 Lecture SeriesTemples that Speak: Art and Architecture at Copan, HondurasHonduran archaeologist Ricardo Agurcia Fasquelle, Executive Director of the Copan Association, offers a richly illustrated exploration of the extensive research carried out over the past twenty years on the Acropolis of the ancient Maya site of Copan. Mr. Agurcia speaks about his own discoveries of two extraordinarily well-preserved buildings that represent the only complete examples of Early Classic architecture and monumental art at the site. He gave them the field names “Rosalila” and “Oropendola.” Within these two buildings were found magnificent royal tombs whose contents are well represented in the Museum’s current exhibition, MAYA 2012: Lords of Time. Admission: $5.

October 24Wednesday, 7:30 pmApocalypse Film Series: Double FeatureShaun of the Dead (2004) and Night of the Living Dead (1968)Did the Maya predict the end of the world in December 2012? Find out how to survive, or how not to survive, with a different apocalyptic scenario each month. Pick up skills on how to fight zombies at this deadly double feature, and dress for a zombie costume contest at intermission. Cash bar and snacks available. Admission: Pay-what-you-want. For more information, call 215.898.2680.

November 3Saturday, 1:00 - 4:00 pmWorld Culture AfternoonDay of the Dead CelebrationFamilies are invited to celebrate Mexican culture and the tradition of Day of the Dead with music, dancing, artisans, and more. This event is cosponsored by the Mexican Cultural Center. Free with Museum admission. For more information, call 215.898.2680.

November 13Tuesday, 6:00 pmLive from the Archives! Film SeriesGods and Kings (2012)This film focuses on contemporary Maya people who are using Hollywood and other North American pop culture images in their traditional costumed festivals in the town of Momostenango, Guatemala. The film creatively uses Penn Museum footage from the J. Alden Mason Collection. Filmmaker Robin Blotnik introduces the program. Penn Museum is the world premiere forum for this film, screened in conjunction with our current exhibition, MAYA 2012: Lords of Time. Admission: Pay-what-you-want. For more information, visit www.penn.museum/culturefilms or call 215.898.2680.

November 14Wednesday, 6:00 pmMAYA 2012 Lecture SeriesMaya Majesty: Kings and Queens of the Classic PeriodSimon Martin, Co-Curator, MAYA 2012: Lords of Time and co-author, Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya, speaks. Between 300 and 900 CE, the ancient Maya developed an elaborate royal culture, imbuing men and women of appropriate birth with the conventions of authority and a quasi-divine status. This talk explores the intricate ties between royalty and ritual, where the performance of religious rites not only advertised regal status, but was also the lifeblood that sustained legitimacy and power. The costuming, regalia, and ritual acts of Maya kings and queens represent a code that we can read to reveal their relationship to particular gods and mythic events, as well as to their own place within the Maya cosmos. Admission: $5. For more information, call 215.898.2680.

November 28Wednesday, 7:30 pmApocalypse Film SeriesDemolition Man (1993)Did the Maya predict the end of the world in December 2012? Filmgoers find out how to survive, or how not to survive, with a different apocalyptic scenario film each month. In Demolition Man, Sylvester Stallone plays a cop in pursuit of a violent criminal in a non-violent future society. Audience members can learn how to recover from suspended animation and live through an earthquake, and compete in a Stallone trivia contest at intermission! Cash bar and snacks available. Admission: Pay-what-you-want. For more information, call 215.898.2680.

December 12Wednesday, 6:00MAYA 2012 Evening Lecture SeriesThe End of Time: The Maya Mystery of 2012Dr. Anthony F. Aveni, author of the bestselling book, The End of Time: The Maya Mystery of 2012, explores theories about the widely prophesized “end of the world” in December 2012 by measuring them objectively against the evidence of archaeology, iconography, and epigraphy. Dr. Aveni considers information from the earth sciences and astronomy about the likelihood of worldwide Armageddon. Finally, the prophesies are placed in the broader cultural and historical context of how other cultures, ancient and modern, thought about the “end of things” and why cataclysmic events enjoy wide spread appeal in contemporary American pop culture. This program is presented in conjunction with our current exhibition, MAYA 2012: Lords of Time. Admission: $5. For more information, call 215.898.2680.

December 21Friday, 9:00 pm – 1:00 amYoung Friends CelebrationMAYA 2012: The Final CountdownTime to party like it’s the end of the world! The Young Friends of the Penn Museum present this late night party with drinks, light fare, entertainment, and music to ring in the end of the world. Attendees can see if the apocalyptic predictions are correct as the clock strikes midnight—if the world does not end, the party goes on! Visit www.penn.museum/youngfriends for more information and to purchase tickets.

January 23Wednesday, 7:30 pmApocalypse Film SeriesMad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)Did the Maya predict the end of the world in December 2012? Filmgoers find out how to survive, or how not to survive, with a different apocalyptic scenario film each month. In Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Mel Gibson struggles to survive in the post-Armageddon city of Bartertown. Audience members can learn how to cope with life in the desert, and compete in a Mad Max trivia contest at intermission! Cash bar and snacks available. Admission: Pay-what-you-want. For more information, call 215.898.2680.

The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is dedicated to the study and understanding of human history and diversity. Founded in 1887, the Museum has sent more than 400 archaeological and anthropological expeditions to all the inhabited continents of the world. With an active exhibition schedule and educational programming for children and adults, the Museum offers the public an opportunity to share in the ongoing discovery of humankind's collective heritage.

Penn Museum is located at 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (on Penn's campus, across from Franklin Field). Public transportation to the Museum is available via SEPTA's Regional Rail Line at University City Station; the Market-Frankford Subway Line at 34th Street Station; trolley routes 11, 13, 34, and 36; and bus routes 12, 21, 30, 40, and 42. Museum hours are Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Wednesday, 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, with P.M. @ PENN MUSEUM evening programs offered weekly. Closed Mondays and holidays. Admission is $10 for adults; $7 for senior citizens (65 and above); $6 children (6 to 17) and full-time students with ID; free to Members, PennCard holders, and children 5 and younger; "pay-what-you-want" the last hour before closing. Penn Museum can be found on the web at www.penn.museum. For general information call 215.898.4000. For group tour information call 215.746.8183.

Photo captions (top to bottom): Joanne Baron, Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology, UPenn, speaks about Classic Maya architecture at the Penn Museum, Wednesday, September 19 at 6:00 pm (photo: Joanne Baron). Dr. Ricardo Agurcia Fasquelle speaks about art and architecture at Copan, Honduras at this installation in the MAYA 2012 Lecture Series, Wednesday, October 17, 6:00 pm at the Penn Museum (photo: Kenneth Garrett). Families are invited to celebrate Mexican culture and the tradition of Day of the Dead with music, dancing, artisans and more at Penn Museum, Saturday, November 3 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm (photo: Penn Museum). Simon Martin, Co-Curator, MAYA 2012: Lords of Time, speaks about Maya royalty in this lecture at Penn Museum, Wednesday, November 14 at 6:00 pm (photo: Penn Museum). Dr. Anthony Aveni speaks about apocalyptic prophecies in “The End of Time: The Maya Mystery of 2012,” an evening lecture presented at the Penn Museum Wednesday, December 12 at 6:00 pm (image: University Press of Colorado, courtesy Anthony Aveni).